North Oakland County Water Authority (NOCWA) is a regional water authority in SE Michigan comprised of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, Orion Township, Pontiac, and Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office.

This episode of The Advancing Communities Show features NOCWA chairman - and City of Auburn Hills Director of the Department of Public Works - and Vicki Putala, our own environmental water resources expert.

Sustainability guru Erin guides this discussion to explore the numerous environmental, economic and social benefits achieved through this innovative win-win regional collaboration resulting in water pressure increases, reduced energy costs, improved service levels, $5M annual savings - and more.

Join us as we journey through the process to discuss how communities and their residents benefit when collaboration ensues.

About the experts: Vicki Putala, PE, heads our environmental water resources group. She's also our go-to expert on drinking water system master planning, and water and wastewater treatment. Her projects have won several awards from industry organizations, including the American Public Works Association and American Council of Engineering Companies.

Ron Melchert is the City of Auburn Hills, MI Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW), responsible for leading the long-term and day-to-day operation and maintenance of the public infrastructure including roads, fleet, water, sewer, storm drains, parks, grounds, and facilities. He also serves as chairperson of NOCWA.

Erin Quetell, MPA, ISSP-SA, is a rising star in the Michigan sustainability realm. A certified International Society of Sustainability Professionals sustainability associate, Erin is a sustainability technical specialist whose specialty encompasses developing integrated sustainability practices that help better communities - now and for future generations.

Over the last 30 years, communities have witnessed a divergence in the need for infrastructure management and available revenues. An alarming percentage of our infrastructure is reaching the end of its useful life. It's a critical topic ever top-of-mind here at OHM Advisors.

In this episode of The Advancing Communities Show, we delve headfirst into 21st century infrastructure—the current scenario, why it's important for thriving communities and how to fund necessary improvements.

Join environmental water resources guru Vicki Putala and infrastructure funding genie Greg Kacvinsky as they tackle 21st century infrastructure and what it means for your community.

Tune in to learn how you can improve your infrastructure, identify funding opportunities, and learn about asset management, and how it relates to having an effective sustainable future.

Sustainability is a ubiquitous buzzword these days. But at OHM Advisors, it's a forward-thinking, holistic approach that is integrated into everything we do.

This ever-evolving global initiative has many different components and is defined many different ways. In this episode of The Advancing Communities Show, we level set on sustainability – what it is and why it matters. We cover the biggest impacts to the practice of sustainability, address widespread misconceptions and discuss trends to watch.

Join Paul Bierman-Lytle, recognized industry expert and leader of our integrated sustainability solutions practice, in the first of several thought-provoking podcast discussions on the topic of sustainability.

Tune in to discover positive, balanced solutions and the steps you can take – now – to work toward a sustainable future.

Ready or not, here they come! Autonomous cars (aka driverless cars), that is. The vehicles that we see on the road today will soon become the ‘flip phone’ of the transportation world. 

Car manufacturers are already implementing this new technology. 

This episode of The Advancing Communities Show features planners Jason Sudy, Justin Robbins and Rick Stein, as they explore the immense impact that autonomous vehicles could have on our society. 

They will paint the picture of autonomous vehicles as a service-based model that will improve safety and increases efficiencies. It will change the way we design cars and spaces for years to come.

Join us as we break down this giant force, which will be a huge game changer for cities, and discuss how people will benefit and be at the center of this phenomenon. 

The Advancing Community Show: Placemaking for Pets

This episode features Aaron Domini, Senior Planner at OHM Advisors. 

We explore why planners, city leaders, and the private sector might want to consider Fido, the family dog, when creating the next great spaces. As part of our discussion, Aaron talks about the influence of pets in shaping lifestyles, pet-friendly design and planning practices, and the potential economic and social value of integrating pets and their owners, who now make up a whopping 40% of the population, into plans for communities of the future.

Join us as we discuss reactions from communities, the private sector and what’s next around this idea of placemaking for pets.

“What’s in Your Space?”: Schools for Today’s Learners

Authors of “What’s in Your Space? 5 Steps for Better School and Classroom Design” Mark White, educational consultant, and Gary Sebach, director of architectural design at OHM Advisors, use their experience with Gahanna Lincoln High School’s award-winning Clark Hall to discuss what it means to educate in the 21st Century. Pushing the boundaries of traditional school design, Clark Hall was designed around today’s learners, their use of technology, and the development of the global skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. White and Sebach talk about lessons learned with Clark Hall, including the importance of a culture that supports student-centered learning and the need for highly adaptable and flexible schools in a rapidly transforming world. 

This show features OHM Advisors’ Tim Juidici and Jon Katers along City of Auburn Hills, Michigan officials, Stephanie Carroll and Ron Melchert, as they discuss the ins and outs of Michigan’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange – hailed as the “future of transportation”.

Learn all about this innovative project, located 30 miles north of Detroit at I-75 and University Drive, and the relationship between infrastructure, community identity and regional development. Hear an example of how strong leadership, proactive funding efforts and progressive thinking resulted in sweeping regional benefits.

Tony Slanec, partner and director of planning and urban design at OHM Advisors, discusses visioning and sustainability, particularly in the context of happiness as informed by the United Nations’ World Happiness Report.  Learn how public policy and decisions that impact the community can be influenced by the World Happiness Report, a landmark global survey – first published in 2012 – that reviews the state of happiness in the world today. As an urban planner, Tony speaks to the philosophy of incorporating design elements that foster happiness, connectivity, and economic value.  

This show features Robert Czachorski, partner at OHM Advisors and cofounder of H20metrics, a collaborative water analytics software company.

An overwhelming amount of data is collected by municipalities, and utility systems in general, but what can you do with all that information? 

Robert explores the theme of leveraging smart technologies, such as H20metrics, to better – and more strategically – manage water and sewer infrastructure systems.

Tom Wilson, Utilities Supervisor, City of Livonia Department of Public Works, speaks to the challenges of municipality infrastructure asset management and best practices honed from 35+ years in municipal government. He describes his unique approach to conceptualizing community infrastructure as a car analogy – a practical comparison that crystalizes the precarious balancing act municipal officials are forced to perform to balance expected levels of service with such limited budgets.

Tom discusses his management philosophy in terms of managing what he coins “inalienable citizen rights”, and a “Grandma Decision Making” mentality that all municipal employees can relate to.